


Family, Life Decisions, and One More Conversation About Soulmates

by Diary



Series: London Spy: Hogwarts Edition [4]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, London Spy
Genre: Awkward Conversations, Bechdel Test Fail, Canon Gay Character, Confrontations, Established Danny Holt/Alex Turner, Established Relationship, Family, Friendship/Love, Hogwarts Seventh Year, Late Night Conversations, M/M, POV Danny Holt, POV Male Character, POV Queer Character, Romance, Werewolves
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-06
Updated: 2016-03-06
Packaged: 2018-05-25 02:18:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,776
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6176437
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Diary/pseuds/Diary
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Crossover. The penultimate fic of the series.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Family, Life Decisions, and One More Conversation About Soulmates

**Author's Note:**

> I do not own London Spy or Harry Potter.

Since Sara got her Apparition license over the summer and Pavel was able to get his when he was fifteen due to his Ukrainian citizenship from his dad’s side, they decided they’d apparate to Danny’s house and side-along with him to the express.

Once the multi-coloured dots stop blocking his vision and he’s able to drink some potion Sara insists will help, he mutters, “Let’s agree to never do that again.”

“Yeah, good call,” Pavel agrees. “Oh, there’s Turner.”

“Could one of you go over and talk to him? I’m afraid to stand up.”

…

On the train, Alex asks, “How was your summer?”

“I’m glad to be going back,” Danny answers. “What about you?”

Alex nods.

Taking his hand, Danny says, “I won’t push. But if there’s something on your mind-” He lets the sentence hang.

Alex produces a letter. “I’ve been offered a job upon my completion at Hogwarts.”

Danny reads it. “Gringotts? Sorry, I don’t understand what they’re offering.”

“Gringotts holds the financial information of numerous wizards, witches, and other Beings.”

Danny nods. “With you so far.”

“In the past, that information has become dangerously close to being compromised. The goblins are implementing new methods to secure it. Runes, arithmancary, and general mathematical encryption are three of the main non-charm methods they’ve decided on.”

Taking this in, Danny inquires, “And how do you feel about all this?”

It seems to him this would be right up Alex’s alley, but they haven’t talked much about career goals. Alex’s mum really wants Alex to work for the ministry, and Danny’s afraid Alex will despite being less-than-enthused about it. As for Danny, he’s come to accept he has little hope for a good future.

“I was excited,” Alex says. “Until Frances found out.”

Sighing, Danny kisses him. “You know what I think. I hope you do what makes you the most happy, but if you don’t, I’ll still be here. With how brilliant you are, people are always going to want you, and I imagine having ministry experience under your belt would be a good thing, if you ever did decide to leave it.”

Setting the letter aside, Alex pulls Danny closer, and Danny melts into the kiss.

…

The year before, Sara gave Danny an enchanted tent, and he and Alex set it up in the school’s broom shed a few times.

After the feast, they do it again.

Later, Danny lies close to Alex and enjoys the pleasant thrumming going through his body.

“I didn’t realise how much I missed this until just now,” Alex murmurs.

Grinning, Danny kisses his cheek. “Me neither.”

Alex looks at him for a long moment.

“What are you thinking,” Danny asks.

The kiss he receives is soft but chock full of emotion. “I love you.”

“I love you, too,” Danny responds.

…

He’s late to breakfast, and Sara immediately tugs at his tie. “Really, Danny?”

Looking down, he sees he’s actually wearing one of Alex’s ties.

“I don’t suppose you’ll believe I meant to do that?”

Laughing, she shakes her head. “I would have if you hadn’t asked that. If I undid it and opened your collar, would I find a love bite?”

Alex isn’t comfortable with Danny making love bites on him, but he’s enthusiastically comfortable with giving them to Danny, and Danny is more-than-happy to receive them.

“No,” he answers.

He realises his hand is automatically moving towards his chest, and forcing it down, he finds himself suddenly able to vividly feel the one on his thigh.

Shaking her head with a grin, she smacks him.

“Where’s Pavel?”

Rolling her eyes, she answers, “He’s trying to make sure the new Slytherin keeper is as fully jinx-proofed as possible.”

Remembering the time he himself was volunteered as keeper during a Slytherin practise section, Danny says, “Here’s to that.”

…

A week after the term starts, he finds himself sitting in Professor McGonagall’s office. “Professor Sprout tells me you wish start working at the post office in Hogsmeade.”

He nods. “I’ve already talked to Madam Sprint, Professor, and Professors Flitwick and Sprout think I should be able to test out of Charms and your class. The others, I can work around.”

She sighs. “I rarely approve these requests, Mister Holt. You’re a kind boy. You’re also undisciplined. We both know you won’t work around your other classes.”

He stays quiet.

“However, I suppose it’s better you do something productive with your time if you aren’t going to do your schoolwork. I’ll grant the request on two conditions.”

He waits.

“If you show up late more than three times, Madam Sprint will terminate your employment. I know she’ll agree to that. Two, you’ll save any trips to Gringotts for the weekend. If something happens to your money, that will be solely your responsibility.”

“I won’t be going to Gringotts."

She looks at him in surprise.

“I’m muggle-born,” he reminds her. “My parents’ve always paid for everything I needed, but until recently, I didn’t have any real money of my own. I don’t have an account.”

“Would you like one?”

“I- haven’t ever really thought about it,” he admits.

“I assume you and Mister Turner are still an item?”

He happily nods.

“Talk to him,” she orders. “I’ll talk to Professors Sprout and Flitwick.”

She stands, and he follows suit. “Thank you,” he says.

“I’d advise you not to waste this opportunity, Mister Holt. Run along.”

…

When he talks to Sara and Pavel in the Gryffindor common room, Pavel repeats, “The post office?”

Danny shrugs. “Hopefully, it’ll be better than the café.”

“Maybe I should find a job,” Sara says.

“You can find one after graduation,” is Pavel’s firm response.

She starts to kick him, but Danny grabs her ankle. “Even Snape acknowledges how good you are at Potions,” he points out. “And when it comes to curses, there’s no one better. Pavel’s right. If you don’t want to keep living at home after graduation, I can probably cover both our rent for a month or two. By then, you’ll have a good job.”

“You aren’t staying with yours, then,” Pavel asks.

“Probably not.”

Sara wraps around him. “What about Alex, though? I sort of assumed you and he-”

“We haven’t talked about it,” he says. “Let’s change the subject. I’m not going to be dragged out at five in the morning, again, am I?”

“Not if I can help it, and stop complaining, seeing you shirtless helped speed things up with Turner,” Pavel replies.

…

Danny can hardly believe his luck when he and Alex find out they can go to Gringotts, and then, spend the whole Saturday together in Diagon Alley.

Getting an account set up is relatively easy thanks to Alex, and afterwards, they head to Rosa Lee's Tea Shoppe.

Once they get there, Danny feels a sense of trepidation. He and Alex are usually good at talking, but when there are missteps, they’re usually big.

They’re seventeen, he believes in soulmates, Alex doesn’t and has never had a boyfriend before him, and he’s been doing things with people since he was rather young. He’s never going to like working, and Alex is already getting job offers.

“Danny?”

“Me, Sara, and Pavel were talking,” he starts. “I’ve told you a little about Sara’s parents, right?”

“Yes.”

“Well, after graduation, she’s probably not going to stay, and I’m probably not either. Not sure about Pavel. He’s close to his parents, but he prefers the UK to Ukraine. Anyway, though, me and her might get a flat together. I was just wondering, are you going to stay home after graduation?”

He knows many purebloods and people from heavily magical families do tend to stay with their parents until they get married.

“I don’t know,” Alex answers.

Danny’s known Alex long enough to know when Alex is unaffected or happily affected and when negative emotions are swirling around inside Alex.

Taking his hand, Danny says, “That’s okay. Graduation is almost a year away.”

“I think Frances expects me to.”

“Do you want to?”

He carefully doesn’t think about his own parents. He’d happily pay rent if only it meant they genuinely wanted him near them, but- he’s not who they want, and however guilty it makes him feel, he’s wished countless times for different parents.

Alex frowns.

“Do you want to change the subject,” Danny asks.

“I don’t understand how you can be the way you are,” Alex suddenly says, and there’s something almost plaintive about it.

Instantly, Danny tenses. He remembers the last time Alex said something similar, they’d been arguing about Danny’s failure to do his homework. Or, he admits, I lied, lashed out when called out, and Alex just took it.

Taking a breath, he tries to smile. “Is that good or bad?”

“You aren’t afraid.”

“Should I be?”

Alex gives him a helpless look.

“Um, okay. Look, I’m not sure what question is the right one, so- I’m just going to keep asking questions, and if you don’t want to answer them, don’t, but the ones you do, we’ll go from there, okay?”

Shaking his head, Alex responds, “You’ve done more than I ever have. Schoolwork comes easily to me, and- does it make sense to say life comes easily to you? You have numerous friends, you’ve done things with various boys and girls, and even without you having a solid plan for after graduation, you aren’t worried. Even without a solid plan, I believe you’ll manage to find happiness.”

Thankful they haven't gotten tea yet, he gently says, “Come on, let’s go talk about this somewhere more private.”

They walk until they find a secluded bench.

Tugging Alex down, Danny wraps around him. “You’re wrong. You’ve painted me as fearless, but trust me, I’m really not.” Leaning his chin on Alex’s shoulder, he continues, “There are times when I can’t even begin to explain how terrified I’ve been. Not to mention sad. It hasn’t been often, but there’ve been times I’ve been scarily angry, too.”

“It’s just- Actually, this wasn’t how I should have started the conversation. Trying again: Alex, I need you to try to believe this: There is nothing wrong with you. Okay? Nothing. The way you approach the world is different from mine. And I’m sure there are times when you should have done things differently, because, you’re human, but there are a lot of times I should have, too.”

Letting out a breath, he smiles at how Alex reacts to it hitting Alex’s neck.

“Some people are more cautious. Logical. When they take risks- well, if you hadn’t been brave enough to say you wanted to kiss me in fifth year, we might not have ever gotten together. It’s usually special when they do. Some people, people like me, taking risks- sometimes, it’s when we don’t that matters. I wanted to kiss you almost immediately after I met you. But it was more important that we be friends. That I try to be a good friend to you.”

Alex begins tracing his hand. “Yet, despite your fear, you do fearless things.”

“A big part of that is the fact I have Sara and Pavel and you,” he says. “Another part is- Someone once said I’m impulsive-driven. If I think I’ll like something, the promise of a reward can usually override the other things. I don’t know what you’d be called, but it’s different for you, and that’s fine. Can you imagine how bad the world would be if everyone were like me?”

“The world would be better if more were,” Alex says.

Taken aback, Danny kisses Alex’s neck. “Thank you. I’m not sure I agree, but thank you. Still, isn’t there some maths that says that opposites are important? The world needs people like both of us, yeah?”

Alex nods. “I think I understand.” He turns. “I don’t know what to do or even what exactly I want.”

“You have no idea how normal that is,” Danny says. “Almost no seventeen-year-old does. In fact, I’m not sure even a lot of adults, ones with houses and proper jobs and even kids, really know, either. Is there anything I can do to help you try to figure some of it out?”

“No.” Alex reaches up to cup his cheek. “Thank you. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be,” Danny firmly orders. “Thank you for letting me in.”

Standing up, Alex offers his hand. “I feel better.”

Danny takes his hand.

…

After their outing to Diagon Alley, Alex seems more like his usual self.

Danny discovers he likes working at the post office better than the café, but he still doesn’t particularly like it.

One day, he’s so fed up, instead of sending a note asking Alex to meet him on the astronomy tower, he convinces a tiny little Ravenclaw to let him into the Ravenclaw tower and go fetch Alex from the boys’ dorm.

Several of the Ravenclaws in the common room shoot him suspicious looks, and he says, “I’m not here to steal Quidditch secrets for Pavel or Sara, I just want to snog my boyfriend on an actual couch for once.”

The enchanted tent has a both a couch and a bed, but really, Danny wants to snog Alex in the middle of Alex’s common room.

“But,” one of the Ravenclaws says, “you could be here to steal secrets for your own house.”

“If I ever want to be tortured by Sara and Pavel both, I’ll definitely try doing that,” he answers.

Alex appears. “Danny?”

Danny grabs him, falls back onto an empty couch, and pulls.

Alex quickly responds, and Danny vaguely hears everyone clearing out.

It’s so good, but he knows they can’t go too far.

Somehow, his tie is undone and his collar opened, and he knows, soon, he will have a love bite for Sara to examine.

“Alistair?”

Alex jumps up, and still somewhat in a daze, Danny finds himself staring at woman he knows must be Frances Turner.

Oh, God, pops into his head, I had my hand-  

“Frances, what are you doing here?”

Oh, God, don’t look down, he prays.

Even with the shock, they’re both still teenagers who were just-

“I’ll just give you a minute." She leaves.

“Um-” Danny shakes his head. Fear, sorrow, and general unpleasantness are starting to hit.

Alex pulls him up. “It’ll be okay. I’ll talk to you later?”

“I’m so sorry,” he blurts out.

“Danny.”

Alex’s voice is soft, and he feels himself calm a bit. “It’ll be okay.”

Alex gently kisses him.

He heard the uncertainty in Alex’s tone, and he wonders if he should stay.

“I need to talk to her alone,” Alex quietly insists.

…

Going to the Slytherin dungeons, he invades Pavel’s card game.

“Danny? Are you okay?”

“I think you or Sara are going to need to give me a painless death. Or it doesn’t have to be painless, really, as long as it’s quick.”

Pavel grabs him, pulls him over to Pavel’s bed, and closes the curtains. Putting up several charms, he wraps himself around Danny. “What happened?”

Getting free, he starts to pace. “I really- Alex’s mum knows. She knows, and it’s all my fault, and he told me to go, but I can’t help but think a proper boyfriend wouldn’t have. Why did- Why do I always do these things? When am I going to learn? Don’t say nothing’s wrong with me, because, obviously, there is! I just- I just don’t know what.”

Pulling him back down, Pavel practically forces some pumpkin juice down him.

“Just stay here. I’m going to send a message to Sara.”

When Pavel disappears past the curtains, Danny lies down on the bed, shakes, and tries not to cry.

…

Sara forces a sour potion down him.

Whatever it is, it makes everything numb, and he tells them what happened.

…

A few hours later, Danny is calm without the aid of any potions, but his mind is still whirling.

Sara and Pavel have taken him to the Hufflepuff common room and are arguing over the last World Quidditch Cup while a sympathetic plant produces numerous sweet-tasting berries and gently wraps its vines around his ankle.

“Thanks, guys,” he says.

Sara is a bit uneasy with how dark the Hufflepuff basement can get, and out of respect for the younger Hufflepuffs, Pavel rarely comes around.

They both curl around him.

A tiny girl appears, pokes Pavel, and then, runs back to the girls’ dorm.

“Okay,” Pavel says.

Another tiny girl appears. “Um, did a Chinese girl in a Harpy nightdress just poke you,” she asks Pavel.

“Yeah,” he patiently answers. “A bit weird that.”

The girl sighs. “I don’t know where I’m going to get fifteen sickles. Also, Danny, your boyfriend is outside. Is he scary?”

“Even less than Pavel is,” Danny answers.

“I’ve got to learn to stop daring her to do things,” she mutters. “She always does, and…”

Once she’s fully disappeared, Danny promises them, “I’ll be fine.”

…

He’s surprised when Alex gives him a quick kiss and asks, “Are you okay?”

“It wasn’t my mum who walked in, and even if it was, well, she’s known since I was about ten,” he points out.

“It’s fine." Pulling Danny onto a bench, he adds, “Frances came to make sure I had money to buy Marie’s birthday present.”

Danny remembers Alex buying a beautiful moleskin coat and some never-tangle wool. “Right, that’s in a fortnight, isn’t it?”

“Yes. However, Frances has been invited to an old schoolmate’s villa in France next weekend, and she isn’t sure how long she’ll be there. She wanted to make sure I had the money before she got caught up in packing.”

“Oh, well, that’s nice of her,” Danny offers.

Especially since I’ve never gotten the impression she particularly approved of your closeness to Marie, an unwelcome part interjects.

“Um, about-”

“She was upset I hadn’t told her. She was upset about that, and then- she simply accepted it. She asked me questions about you, and she said she wants to meet you. But- I never imagined she’d react like this.”

The relief is almost overwhelming. “Oh.”

“She wants to meet you right now.”

“Oh.” The relief is gone.

“If you don’t want to-”

“It’s not- Do you think it’s a good idea?”

“If she’s accepting of me seeing a boy, I think she might like you,” Alex answers.

Even though Danny isn’t sure of the same, at all, he nevertheless says, “Um, just let me get changed real quick.”

…

“Danny, this is Frances. Frances, this is Danny Holt.”

Offering his hand, Danny says, “Mrs Turner.”

She shakes it. “How long have you been with my son, Danny?”

“Since near the end of fifth year,” he quietly answers.

“And why am I just learning of your existence now?”

He isn’t sure there’s a good way to answer.

“I made the decision, Frances. Danny wasn’t going to contact you behind my back.”

He gratefully squeezes Alex’s hand.

“Tell me, Daniel, how would your mother feel if she found out you’d been in a relationship for over two years with someone she knew nothing about?”

“Mrs Turner, I’m sorry if you’re hurt, but Alex didn’t do this to hurt you,” he finds himself saying. “He didn’t know how you’d react, and he was trying to keep himself safe. As for my parents, with all due respect, the situation isn’t the same. They know I’m gay, and honestly, they’d rather not even know that. They certainly don’t care that I’ve got a serious boyfriend.”

“Hm,” she says. “Would you like to come over for the weekend?”

“There’s a full moon this weekend,” Alex hurriedly interjects.

Danny looks at him, but Alex simply shakes his head.

“A nearby neighbour is a werewolf,” Frances says. “I assure you, he always takes wolfsbane potion and has never posed any danger to any of us.” Looking at Alex, she says, “Boy or girl, you can’t expect me to just accept someone I know nothing about. I’d like to get to know him, Alistair.”

“Could you just give me and Alex a minute?"

He tugs Alex away.

“Look, if you don’t want me to go because you don’t want me to go, that’s fine. But if it’s for my benefit, you don’t need to worry. Whatever she thinks of me, she’s not going to hurt a seventeen-year-old student, and I promise, if I stay over, I’ll be careful to stay inside after dark.”

Alex kisses him.

Uncomfortably, he feels Frances’s eyes on them.

“Please, come over,” Alex says.

He nods.

…

Despite Sara and Pavel’s uneasiness, he floos over to Alex’s house on Friday afternoon.

Frances kisses Alex’s cheek. “Marie’s made some apple lemon cake for you.” To Danny, she says, “Welcome.”

“Thank you for having me over,” he says.

“Where’s Charles,” Alex asks.

Frances shrugs. “He wasn’t particularly happy to learn about our guest.”

On the one hand, Danny can respect her honesty. On the other hand, he’s glad Alex seems genuinely unaffected by the answer, because, a little bit of tact certainly wouldn’t have hurt.

She leads them to the kitchen.

“Hi, sweetheart,” a woman with her head in the oven says. Straightening, she turns and starts, “Sorry, but the cake-”

Pausing, she takes in Danny. “Oh, who’s this?”

The tone is right, but Danny can see in her eyes and stance Alex has already told her about him.

“My boyfriend, Danny,” Alex answers.

“Oh,” she says.

He offers his hand. “Nice to meet you. Sorry, but Alex’s never told me your last name?”

She shakes his hand. “Hello, Danny. Is there any special you’d like for dinner?”

Shaking his head, he answers, “No, thank you.”

He looks closely at her. Alex looks a lot like Frances, but he thinks he can see some physical similarities between her and Alex, too.

“If the cake isn’t ready, why don’t you show Danny around, Alistair,” Frances suggests.

Nodding, Alex leads him away.

…

No on wonder he’s always been so lonely, is Danny’s thought as Alex shows him around.

The manor is big, almost unnaturally clean, and full of untouchable pieces of art. Some of them are pretty, but museums are more welcoming and joyful than this place is.

“You’re sad for me,” Alex states.

Squeezing Alex’s hand, he says, “I’m happy to be with you.”

After a brief kiss, they continue walking.

…

At dinner, Danny sits uncomfortably in his best dress robes. The tables at Hogwarts are much larger, but they’ve likely never held only three people at a time. In comparison, this one feels unreasonably huge.

“How did you two become acquainted?"

Grateful this is a story he’s unlikely to screw up, he answers, “First, I’ve ended up in the black lake more times than I can remember, but in fifth year, I ended up there again. The giant squid ejected me right in front of where Alex was standing. He was nice enough to do a drying spell on me. I have two friends who play Quidditch, and later, I was on my way to watch them practise, and I saw Alex sitting on a bench. I stopped, and we found ourselves talking.”

Alex gives him a small smile.

“And what are your plans for after Hogwarts?”

“I’m not exactly sure. Me and Sara, one of my best mates, are probably going to get a flat together.”

She tilts her head. “And her family doesn’t object to the idea of her sharing her flat with a man she’s not married to?”

“Well, if her family weren’t completely screwed up, the fact I’m gay would probably help.”

It comes out sharper than he intended, and if she decides to call him out on his rudeness, he knows he can’t really argue.

“And what do you think of this, Alistair?”

“I think it would be good for Danny and Sara both.”

She nods. “Alistair no doubt told you of his job offer to Gringotts. While the money is likely very good, it’s ultimately an unimportant job that any common witch or wizard can do. The ministry needs wizards like him, and he couldn’t do better than them.”

Feeling a surge of angry disgust, Danny starts to steel himself. He’s going to be kicked out as soon as he answers, and he isn’t sure how this will affect Alex, but he absolutely can’t let her put Alex in such a painful spot.

He opens his mouth, but before he can get any words out, Marie appears with two plates. “I’m sorry, I know it’s a bit early for dessert, but I thought since this is a special occasion- Mrs Turner, Mr Turner is- It’s his medicine.”

A look of alarm crosses Alex’s face, and Marie must see it, too, because, she quickly says, “His sleeping potion. It’s running low. His others are all fine, I promise.”

Sighing, Frances gets up. “Excuse me.”

Marie sets a slice of apple lemon cake in front of Alex, and then, puts a slice of Danny’s favourite pie in front of him.

“Oh, thank you!”

Nodding, she gives him a small smile. “Alex told me.”

Alex, not Alistair, he notices.

After she’s left, Alex quietly explains, “Charles isn’t healthy. He requires numerous potions. Some of them are difficult to brew and store. If he ran low on one of them-” He hesitates.

“I understand,” Danny says. “I’m sorry about what just happened.”

Alex gives a small shrug. “It’s not surprising.”

Danny feels his heart twist.

…

Frances puts him in a guestroom, but soon after, there’s a knock on the door, and he opens it to find Alex.

“Hey.”

“Hey,” Alex echoes. “I want to show you something.”

“Okay,” he agrees.

“You’ll need your coat.”

He grabs it.

…

Outside, Alex leads him through a maze until they get to the centre.

They sit down on a bench.

“You loved this when you were a kid, didn’t you,” Danny guesses. “Still do.”

Alex nods. “I figured out how to navigate it by myself shortly before my fifth birthday. I used to come here, listen to the sounds around me, and work on my projects.”

Danny smiles.

Taking his hand, Alex continues, “I want to tell you a story.”

“Okay."

“It’s a about boy,” Alex says. “While everyone was laughing and playing, he would just walk until he reached the exact same spot, where’d he sit with his back to all those people while he did everything possible to signal to the world that he wanted to be left alone. More than anything, he hoped that someone passing would understand that what he really wanted was the exact opposite, and that this someone would sit next to him and strike up a conversation. I was that boy, and you were that someone.”

Danny takes a breath.

Finally, he moves closer and wraps himself around Alex. “Promise me something.”

“What?”

“Believe me when I say that you’re never going to lose me. When I was a kid, I was lonely and dreamed of a soulmate. Maybe you’re mine, maybe you’re not. That doesn’t matter. Because if some boy showed up tomorrow and it was made undeniably clear that me and him shared parts making up the same soul, I’d tell him he needed to try to find someone else. I wouldn’t need those other parts to be happy. If I ever lost you, though- You’re so special, Alex, and what we have is so special and good. I know we’ll likely have problems down the road, but I believe that, if we talk to each other and always remember this moment, we can work through anything. Together.”

Alex lets out a shuddery breath. “I promise.”

Danny nuzzles him.

Alex gently kisses him.

…

In the morning, Alex takes Danny to the kitchen, and Danny briefly sees Mr Turner.

He’s a sickly looking old man who casts a contemptuous look at them before muttering something to Marie and walking out with a plate of food.

“Since it’s such a nice day, why don’t you and your guest go eat outside? Here, I’ve made up your plates.”

As much as Danny likes the idea, he feels compelled to ask, “Shouldn’t we, at least, tell Mrs Turner?”

“I’ll tell her,” Marie answers. “Don’t worry.”

“Thank you,” they both say.

…

Danny isn’t sure whether Marie is responsible or not, but for the rest of the day, he and Alex don’t see Frances.

“You could sleep in my room,” Alex says.

Shaking his head, Danny responds, “Believe me, I’d love to. It’s just- this is your mum’s house. When we get back to Hogwarts, we can set up the tent and sleep together and maybe do more, if we’re both up to it, okay?”

Alex nods. “But you’ll stay inside until morning?”

“I promise.”

…

At one in the morning, Danny finally gives up on sleep.

In his first year, he started sleeping on a couch in the Gryffindor common room with Sara, and later on, occasionally with Pavel in the Slytherin boys’ dorm. The first time he and Alex set up the tent, it was to have sex, but there have been several times they’ve set it up to simply sleep together.

During the summer, after a week or two, he finally manages to get to sleep without someone beside him, but it’s never a pleasant week or two.

Part of the reason he was so outgoing as a child was in an effort to be invited over to other people’s houses for the night. He prefers to believe he did all the things he did with others when he got a little older solely because he found it fun, but if he’s completely honest, he knows some of it likely stemmed from his issues with his parents and the loneliness he felt.

Now, he gets up and heads to the kitchen to see if there’s some leftover food no one will miss.

When he turns on the light, he hears a growl.

Jumping, he turns and finds himself face-to-face with a wolf.

The wolf doesn’t attack, however, and he finds his body relaxing as his mind works almost too fast for him to grasp a thought.

“Mr Turner?”

Giving him a suspicious look, the wolf nods.

Kneeling down, Danny offers, “I’m Danny Holt, Alex’s boyfriend.”

There’s a stretch of nothing, but just as Danny is about to withdraw his hand, Charles shakes it.

“Sorry,” Danny continues. “I have trouble sleeping in new places.”

Charles turns, stares up at a cabinet, and points with one of his paws.

Realising there’s probably no way Charles can open it himself in current form, Danny does. Inside is a bottle of Firewhiskey and cans of spinach.

Remembering Alex telling him about Charles liking spinach omelettes, he offers, “I could make you an omelette. But- look, I’d appreciate not doing anything that gets me or Alex in trouble.”

A glare is his only response.

He finds a bowl, pours the Firewhiskey, gets the eggs out of the icebox, and makes the omelette. “Sorry if it’s not that good. My mum taught me how to cook when I was little, but I’ve never had much practise.”

Sometimes, he wishes he hadn’t learned so fast. Her teaching him had been one of the few times they’d ever been anywhere near approaching close.

Charles makes a gesture telling Danny to sit down.

Getting some orange juice, Danny complies.

“I know Alex has actual insomnia,” he says. “Does he come sit with you sometimes?”

Charles shakes his head.

“Does he get it from you? Miss- I still haven’t figured out her last name, but your housekeeper, she mentioned a sleeping potion for you.”

At Charles’s look, he continues, “Yeah, Alex once told me he thought you weren’t his biological father. But the thing is, I know Alex isn’t prejudiced. So, why was he so genuinely worried that you might hurt me?”

Charles shakes his head, but Danny gets the feeling he’ll be willing to continue the conversation once he regains the ability to verbally respond.

Leaning against the wall, Danny tells him, “Whether any of you like it or not, Alex loves me. If you happen to care, I love him back. But I know me loving me him isn’t what really bothers your wife and maybe Marie. It’s that, out of everything that’s been put into him, all the plans made, he’s gone and fallen for muggle-born boy from an estate family and would probably be happy being a banker instead of whatever high ministry position he could get if he’d just aim for it.”

The sound Charles makes is amused.

Sighing, Danny clinks his glass against the bowl. “Cheers.”

Then, he gets an idea.

“I’ll be right back.”

He goes to his room, finds his pack of self-shuffling cards and bag of marbles, and takes them to the kitchen. “Just a warning, one of my friends is a genius at this. Even Alex has never been able to beat him, and he’s taught me a lot.”

Huffing, Charles looks at him with challenging eyes.

…

“Just because I have no idea _how_ you’re cheating,” Danny says, “doesn’t mean you aren’t. If Pavel were here, you wouldn’t be getting away with this.”

Carelessly reaching over, Charles pulls the pile of marbles closer to him.

Danny taps a card, and they start to reshuffle.

“Charles, have-”

Turning, Danny finds Alex looking frozen at them, and jumping up, he quickly says, “It’s okay. Sorry, I couldn’t sleep. We’ve been playing cards.”

Looking down at Charles, Alex notes, “You’ve been cheating.”

“Knew it,” Danny declares. “Can you tell me how? I haven’t been able to prove it.”

“The sun will rise, soon,” Alex tells Charles.

Then, he pulls Danny away.

Once they’re away from the kitchen, Danny stops him. “I’m fine. Aside from unfairly getting a much bigger pile of marbles than me, he didn’t do anything wrong. Oh, except, he sort of insisted on drinking Firewhiskey, and if I wasn’t supposed to give him that, I apologise.”

Alex shakes his head, and Danny studies him closely. When he realises what’s wrong, he takes Alex’s hand. “Alex, you didn’t do anything wrong. Frances was the one who said it was a neighbour; you just went along with it. But even if- You felt you needed to warn me, but it wasn’t your right to tell something that personal about someone else. I understand.”

Some of the tension eases but not all.

“I’m fine,” Danny repeats. “He usually spends his time as a werewolf outside?”

Nodding, Alex answers, “Yes. When the sleeping potions don’t work, he walks around the maze.”

He leads Danny to a room with a couch. Once they sit down, he explains, “Charles used to be an auror. Frances was an Unspeakable. When he was infected, he lost his job. Soon after, she was forced to resign due to her marriage to him. I don’t know why she didn’t divorce him and try to carve out a different career, but she didn’t. They’ve been living off the money of their respective families since. I- I don’t know if they ever truly loved one another, but from what I’ve heard, there was a time they were genuinely happy.”

“I’m sorry,” Danny offers. “Does- does any of this have anything to do with Marie? It’s just, I’ve never been able to figure out how a muggle ended up working for a magical family.”

“Yes,” Alex answers. “Years ago, when I was very young, there was another werewolf. This one wasn’t tempered by the wolfsbane potion. Charles went out to stop it, and he just barely managed to save Marie. Once he had- dispatched it, he alerted Frances. Frances planned to do a memory charm, but before she could, Marie had gotten me to eat. For some reason, I hadn’t been. Frances and Charles explained everything and hired her as my nanny.”

Whoever the werewolf was and whatever their story, Danny can’t help but feel a sense of gratitude towards them and sadness at their death. He knows what Marie suffered is terrible, but since it brought her into Alex’s life, he can’t completely be sorry it happened.

“I love you,” he tells Alex.

“I love you, too.”

…

On Sunday, he doesn’t see Frances at all until he’s packing.

She comes into the room. “Alistair will have to make some hard choices soon. I only hope he’ll make the right ones. There’s not much I can do if he doesn’t.”

“You don’t approve of me or our relationship.”

“No,” she agrees. “Did you take my son’s virginity?”

He pauses. “That’s Alex’s business. What I will say, though, is that I’m not with your son for sex, Mrs Turner. Years ago, I saw this boy sitting all by himself, and I was curious. So, I sat down. I quickly realised he was incredibly lonely. And I don’t like seeing people hurt and alone. We became friends. He was interesting and kind. Eventually, more developed. Whatever we’ve done, I can promise you, I’ve never pushed Alex into anything or insisted on doing anything he decided he didn’t like.”

“I have,” she replies. “And it’s been for his own good.”

“Instead of going into further detail about how heartbreakingly lonely he’s been, I’ll just point out that we both know a parent being firm is completely different from sexual abuse. Were you trying to make a point with that, Mrs Turner? If so, please, try a different tactic.”

She gives him an odd smile. “You’re not the people pleaser you try to present yourself as.”

“I try to be nice. But almost everyone, when pushed enough-” He shrugs.

“Yes,” she says. “Whether you believe it or not, I do have Alistair’s emotional wellbeing in mind. It’s simply, I look to the future, and you look to the present. Right now, he’s happy. You make him that way. I’m sure a job of Gringotts would make him happy, too. For a little while. Eventually, however, he will realise he missed a chance at greatness, and he will always regret it. My objection to you is that you don’t see this. You encourage him to pursue instant gratification, not realising that true happiness would come from a slow and, at times, hard path.”

He’s more unnerved than he’d like to admit.

Taking a breath, he says, “I can’t disprove any of what you just said. That’s fine, there are things with me and Alex where he’d have an easier time proving or disproving something than me doing the opposite. Part of loving a genius, I guess. But, um, anyway, the way I see it, the ministry isn’t the only way to greatness. Alex is brilliant, an incredible worker, and he gets along with everyone. If he wants to do more than working at Gringotts, I don’t see any reason why he can’t. And if you’re worried I’d try to stop him, I wouldn’t. I’d support him.”

“You say that now,” she says. “Have a safe trip back.”

“Yeah, thanks for having me over."

….

When Christmas comes, Alex goes home, and when he comes back, he looks more tired than Danny has seen him in a long time. “What happened?”

Alex looks at him. “I’m going to accept the job at Gringotts.”

Pulling him close, Danny hugs him. “How’d they take it?”

“I expected Frances to have a much stronger reaction. Marie was happy for me.”

“That’s good,” he says. “I’m sorry about Frances. I wish there were something I could say or do.”

“You don’t need to."

…

Danny’s heard time goes faster when people get older, but he can’t believe graduation is already here.

Memories of Sara saving him when he was eleven, of meeting Pavel when he was thirteen, of having his heart thoroughly broken, of meeting Alex, of all he’s done over the years swirl around in his head, and some of it seems so close while the rest feels as if it happened in a different life.

Before it’s time to leave, he goes down to the black lake and sits down.

A tentacle appears and waves menacingly at him.

“Don’t worry, soon I’ll be gone for good,” he says. “Um, look, I just wanted to say- One, I’m sorry for the trouble I’ve caused you. And two, thank you. I don’t know whether you know it, but I met the man I’m hopefully going to spend the rest of my life with because of you.”

Reaching over, the tentacle wraps around his hand.

He squeezes back.

When the tentacle withdraws, he’s not surprised at all to find himself soaking wet.

Luckily, Alex and the others are waiting for him, and Alex has always been good at drying charms.


End file.
